Worldbuilding
The Worldbuilding unit allowed me and my groupmates – David P and Sky G – the first opportunity to dive fully into-depth for creating our very own story with a whole backstory, environment, and universe. Our story was called “Tank Monkeys”. If you couldn’t infer, it’s about monkeys in a tank. Well, actually, it’s so much more than that. In our world which we have spent so much time developing, there exists a fascist feline empire, a hidden panda village, and much, much more.
Being so used to academic reading and writing, we never really had a chance to explore the more creative aspects of the English subject. At the start of our unit, we were tasked to read Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower together. While it had many dark and uncomfortable elements in the book, it was a great learning experience as to how important and immersive worldbuilding can be, and the book also delved into some of the problems our society faces today.
Having the opportunity to write our very own story instead of writing a book report on an assigned novel proved to me so much more fulfilling, also allowing several of our projects in other classes to be influenced by it.
The above artwork was created using Photoshop and is my idea of what the hidden panda village in Tank Monkeys would look like. A magical city on top of a cliff in the clearing of a forest, a temple at the bottom of the cliff, and a panda head shrine.
Another one of our big projects to work on this year was our Worldbuilding Research Essay, in which we had to connect the issue in our Worldbuilding Narrative to the real world. I decided to focus on the War in Ukraine, as I believe there were many similarities between this war and the war in our story. When power gets into the wrong hands, there is a chance it ends up very badly for some.
Our final presentation, which is linked below, was the accumulation of our brainstorming, treatment, essay, and art all combined into a ten minute oral display. Click the red YouTube button to view mine, Sky’s, and David’s dedicated story.
Overall, presenting the project in front of the whole class was a great experience, having an attentive audience, goofing with my group members, and dressing up formally was a nice treat too. My favorite part is at 5:45, when I mention the pandas and everyone gasps. I personally loved working on the panda world during our time worldbuilding.
While my groupmates and I did occasionally stutter over one another, in the end we pulled through and (hopefully) made an enjoyable presentation for our audience to listen along to. The slideshow is in pdf form below if you would like to view it on your own!
Logline
When religious lion warriors hunt a band of monkey orphans, a reluctant monkey veteran must lead them across the perilous landscape to escape extinction.
Characters
Logan is a lanky, 46-year-old cowboy chimpanzee war Veteran who commands the squad of Tank Monkey orphans, acting not only as their leader but their guardian as well. Logan is the most skilled, most experienced, and most knowledgeable out of the monkeys as he was raised in a very abusive environment, and escaped to the military to forget his problems. His primal want is to protect and take care of the surviving monkeys left in his squad.
The problem Logan faces is that he has a lot of responsibility that he doesn’t trust himself to take, and he is tested through many violent interactions. While he is a very skilled fighter, he is not used to being a good leader and has to actually fight to protect others along with himself.
Tasked with leading his squadmates on a dangerous mission, and he will have to use his combat skills to protect them from threats. Additionally, he may encounter a powerful enemy who tests his abilities to their limits, forcing him to dig deep and find the strength and determination to overcome the odds. As Logan faces these challenges, he will have to learn to trust in his own abilities and become a true leader in order to succeed.
Kage is the rebellious youngster of the group, and a chimpanzee. He is the opposite of Logan in which Kage desperately wants to avenge his dead family, while Logan wants to protect what the group already has. Kage’s rebellious nature often puts him at odds with the other members of the squad, particularly Logan. He is not afraid to challenge authority and go his own way, even if it means risking the safety of the group. His personality traits are adventurous, edgy, egotistical, and emotional.
Churchill is a gorilla, noticeably larger and stronger than the rest of his squad. Despite his tough exterior, Churchill has a deep well of empathy and understanding. He is able to connect with others on an emotional level, and is often the one to offer comfort and support to his squadmates. He acts as a mediator between the group, being more patient and compassionate than most. He cares for each member of their group equally and will never leave a man behind. He has learned many valuable technical skills from his mechanic father who passed away during the Great Monkey war, and has developed a very strong understanding of how to repair and operate machines.
Mikey is a capuchin, the smallest and youngest of the group. As the youngest member of the group, Mikey looks up to the other members and tries to learn from them. He is eager to prove himself and become a valuable member of the squad, and is willing to take on any challenge that comes his way. He is generally very curious, impulsive, and thrill-seeking, being very likable because of his goofiness and positivity. His weapon of choice is a huge shotgun that flings him back every time he shoots it, giving him some unconventional mobility but also showing off his crazier personality.
Dusty is a humanoid skeletal looking robot from 500 B.M.E. (Before Monkey Extinction) He carries two big swords with branding illustrating an anchor on them, showing that he used to work on a ship. He does not remember much except how to navigate the Black dunes, making Dusty a great asset for the monkeys. His character is sarcastic, carefree, bad ass, and surprisingly wise, and he also has a wise and thoughtful side that comes out when he is faced with difficult decisions.
Yi is a giant panda master, being one of the absolute best at martial arts. He is 40 years old and has a bit of a dad bod; however, his arms are extremely muscular. He is very good with his fists, but primarily uses a bo staff as his weapon. His goals are to protect the people and places he loves, and he heavily values peace. Being very wise and decisive, he tends to make the best decision in a situation. He is generally a very laid back panda and doesn’t react much to children’s shenanigans.
King Leo VI is the current Lion King, ruling as King of the large Feline Reich. He is a very selfish leader, being irresponsible, fat, spoiled, and cowardly. He is one of two sons of the greatest Lion to ever live, King Leo V, who had won the war and began the genocide of the Monkeys. He is in supreme control of the church/clergy, which are all lions who are in close cahoots with the government officials of the Feline Reich. Although on the outside King Leo may seem like an intelligent fool, he is very manipulative and cunning.
White Claw is the older half brother of King Leo VI and bastard son of the first king. King Leo V had an affair with a Tigress which resulted in the birth of White Claw, the one and only Liger (half tiger half lion). Although Ligers are usually killed at birth or upon discovery, King Leo V demanded that his son be left to live. White Claw was raised with the other Lion cubs, but was always looked down upon as racially inferior. However, he grew into the strongest warrior of his generation, with the help of his pure determination and genetics from his father. He was not allowed to enter the Church due to his mixed race, and instead climbed his way through the ranks until he became 1 of the 3 most powerful generals of the Feline Reich military. He and King Leo VI have had a rough relationship, being raised in completely polarizing environments. White Claw has always wanted to rule the Feline Reich and lead their people, believing that he is the rightful heir to the throne, while his brother is a pathetic failure. However, White Claw must still follow the orders of his brother since he is the supreme ruler of the Reich. His goal is to usurp King Leo VI one day, with the mighty power of the Church blocking his path.
Overview
In a world where mammalian animals have taken the place of humans and have formed humanlike civilizations, the Cats constantly waged war against other strong nations, most predominantly the Monkeys. After they lost the last Holy war, the Monkeys become victims of a genocide administered by the Cats who began practicing a religion that wanted Monkeys wiped off the face of the earth. Logan’s encounters are nothing short of nefarious antagonists, mysterious monsters, and even unexpected allies on their journey to a supposed sanctuary for survivors from the last great war.
On this planet, Terah, all mammals have independently evolved intelligence, leaving ecological niches for other species like reptiles, insects, and birds to fulfill. Many of these niche species function like they do on Earth, one major difference is that mammals are not primarily part of their food chains/ecosystems. Mammals now act as highest in the food chains holding the most intelligence and power. Plants are like the ones on earth, but there are some subtle differences and some unique species. Some species of trees are a lot taller and girthier than the ones on earth. The plants here are also a bit more delicate, so temperature changes can have a big effect on growth, nutrition, offspring amount, etc.
After thousands of years of developing civilizations, by 68 B.M.E.(Before Monkey Era) There are 4 large factions; The Primarlands Republic, the United Canine States, the Feline Reich, and the Union of Soviet Ursus. Other than the primary 4 superpowers, there are countless subfactions all varying in size, influence, power, beliefs, species, and diversity.
Act 1
- Logan, still traumatized from memories of the past, meets the young monkey crew after a chance encounter
- Their peace at a rural farm is ruined once they are warned that the Cat Crusaders are coming to terminate them
- Logan reluctantly has no choice but to decide to lead the crew to the Southern Sanctuary, a supposed safe area full of other monkeys
Act 2
- On their journey to the sanctuary, the tank breaks down in the desert unfortunately but leads to a new member of the crew – Dusty, who acts as their guide
- The desert is Hyena Clan territory and results in heavy battle between the two groups
- Through teamwork, the Monkeys fend off the Hyena clan and travel peacefully into a mountainous forest towards the sanctuary.
- They are ambushed by the Crusader army in the forest, and heroically, the panda nation comes to save
- Results in a new addition to the crew – Yi
- Once they make it to the sanctuary, however, they find out it’s already been destroyed and there are no traces of monkeys left alive
- Abyss moment nearing the end of Act 2
Act 3
- Logan musters up the ability to tell his crew that they must keep moving on
- White Claw appears from the brushes, and gives the monkeys a choice – surrender or die.
- Logan decides that he has to sacrifice himself in order to save the rest of the monkeys
- The remaining crew sail away into the unknown, safe for now.